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The Philadelphia Experiment

Three years ago next month, the City of Philadelphia’s open data portal was launched by local technology firm Azavea as part of the inaugural Philly Tech Week. Two years ago next month, Philadelphia joined the small (but growing) fraternity of cities to adopt a formal open data policy – a milestone that stands as one of the first in something I think of as an “experiment” in municipal transparency.

Since this experiment first began, our open data efforts have come a very long way, and Philadelphia is now looked at as a national leader on open data and civic technology. In many ways it is now time for a new chapter in the Philadelphia experiment – our city is ready to take open data to the next level.

For me, though, it is time to step back and take a different role in the Philadelphia technology community and the broader open data effort – both here and in other places.

How Far We’ve Come

In the last several years, Philadelphia has grown into a national leader on open data and civic technology. We enthusiastically share our experience and our ideas with other municipalities that want to kick off their own open data experiment.

I’ll be watching all of this unfold from a new vantage point – as a member (once again) of the Philly technology and civic hacking communities. In early April, I’ll step down from my post as Chief Data Officer and return to being a professional technologist.

I’ll be talking more in the weeks ahead about exactly what I’ll be doing, but I’ll still be working with governments and open data. I’ll also still be in Philly – my wife and I will continue to live and work here, and our kids will still go to school here.

It has truly been an honor and a privilege to serve this great city, and I owe a debt of gratitude to Managing Director Rich Negrin and CIO Adel Abeid for the opportunity. I look forward to continuing to do so going forward, but from outside city government.

Philly’s open data effort has always been bigger than any one person – it’s always been about the community. It’s now time for me to rejoin that community.